Silhouette ModelMaker™

What is Silhouette ModelMaker™?

Silhouette ModelMaker™ is an easy-to-use educational software tool for creating 3D shapes and converting them into 2-dimentional images that can be cut out and assembled. This software is perfect for classrooms, but can also be used in a home environment to create a variety of 3D paper crafting applications. Providing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subject teaching and learning opportunities, Silhouette ModelMaker™ is simple enough for elementary age curriculum, yet robust enough to transition into high school and beyond.

Models designed in the software’s 3D environment are converted instantly into nets (flat version of the models) that are designed be cut out with a Silhouette cutting machine, such as the Silhouette CAMEO® or Silhouette Portrait®. Build a rocket ship, design a mock-up for a company product, or create an entire model city. The possibilities are endless!

How Does Silhouette ModelMaker™ work?

Design it: Design a 3D shape on the computer with Silhouette ModelMaker™ and display its geometric net, which is an unfolded, segmented version of the 3D shape.

Print it: Print the geometric net generated by Silhouette ModelMaker™ on cardstock with registration marks using a photo quality printer.

Make it: Just like a Print & Cut, the printed geometric net is processed by the Silhouette which scores, perforates, and cuts the net to form fold and cut lines. The trimmed net is then used to build the model.

Features:

Silhouette ModelMaker™ is rich with easy-to-use features, including the following:

Who is Silhouette ModelMaker™ for?

Silhouette ModelMaker™ is an educational software that, until now, has only been used in formal classroom settings. Silhouette ModelMaker™ would also be excellent at-home software for hands-on kids interested in STEM subjects, designing, or creating. Silhouette ModelMaker™ gives kids and students the unique opportunity to design something digitally and then see their design come to life within minutes.

Check out Silhouette ModelMaker™ being used in real classrooms in Hawaii, and let your all of your teacher friends know of this amazing software. Silhouette ModelMaker™ gives people of all ages the chance to be thinkers, planners, problem solvers, designers, inventors, mathematicians, and engineers!

You might also like:

7 Comments

What file formats does this application export to? It is not specific in your blog post. Does is save as .Studio file formats only? I downloaded the trial and I was hoping it would show. Manual does not state, that I could find. It looks interesting. I would love to check it out and share with others, if there was just a little bit more information.

Sierra Dungan

February 6, 2017

The default is to save as native format (.model), but you can export as .SVG and . STL. You can also copy the net to your clipboard.

Grace

February 3, 2017

This is very cool!
First time hearing of this. Was it just released this year?

Marianne Gallant

February 3, 2017

This looks very interesting, and I sure would like to try and see if it would do what I expect. But…..with a trial of only 15 minutes, that gives me not enough time to try it out. I can see not saving or cutting, but 15 minutes? Really, that doesn’t even get you enough time to draw a simple shape and edit to see what it would do. I don’t understand why the limitation. I am only a hobbyist on a limited income, and don’t really want to spend $50 (that is $65 for us Canadians) on a speculation. Can this time limit at least be increased to 24 hours, or a couple of days would be good.

Sierra Dungan

February 8, 2017

To clarify, the software will close your document workspace every 15 minutes, but you can continue to re-open a new document workspace and continue to try it out indefinitely. The trial also prevents saving or opening files, so the appeal of purchasing a license is being able to save your work and continue to build more intricate models that take more than 15 minutes to create and send to a Silhouette cutting machine to be cut out.

Akzo

March 20, 2017

Nice software for simple shapes, but will it be able to do boolean shapes in the future? My partner likes windows in her boxes and it would be a good feature to have if you could knock a hole in one or more of the sides.

Akzo, I agree that would be a nice feature! I suggest you send an email to support@silhouetteamerica.com and ask them to forward your request to the software developers. They are interested in our requests for added features.